We at the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless are most grateful for all of the recent attention the agency has been receiving.

For years, it has seemed as though no one was listening to our pleas that the Authority was suffering from chronic underfunding and could not continue to exist without the support of the community. Each year, we receive and administer over $3 million dollars in federal grants.

These funds are distributed to various caregivers in the community such as the Salvation Army and Union Mission.

From these sums, we have traditionally been allowed to retain only a small percentage for our rent, heat and other utilities. That has never been enough.

In 1989, we were created by the state legislature to be a central clearing house for dealing with the growing problem of homelessness in Savannah and Chatham County. Our board was set up to consist largely of members from other anti-poverty groups. It was felt that their expertise would be most useful to the Authority.

What was not considered was the need for people with fundraising experience and expertise in finding grants. In addition, no provision was made for fundamental support from local governments that we were created to assist.

Frankly, this is the fundamental flaw in our organization and the cause of most of the difficulties we and the community now face.

Adding to our problems are maddening delays in receiving awarded grants which cause us to spend our own meager resources while waiting for the arrival of promised funds. Last year, our major federal grant was three months in arriving. When this happens year after year, it is no wonder that our bank line of credit is exhausted.

Despite our best effort at cost-cutting, the agency comes up short at the end of every year. Obviously, no organization can continue to operate this way. While we have received help with our insurance needs from the city, support for our general operating expenses from local governments over the years has been modest or non-existent.

While better decisions might have been made in the past, the current board has been more than diligent in working to resolve these problems.

Back in the summer, we initiated a series of meetings with then-City Manager, Rochelle Small-Toney. Out of these discussions came the idea of a consultant team to closely analyze the agency’s operations.

About the same time, the board removed its executive director since there was simply no money to pay him. The vacancies on our board reported by the Savannah Morning News are largely the result of our own efforts to remove members who were less than diligent in their attention to Homeless Authority matters.

We are now working to fill those vacancies and note that Chatham County has just recently appointed two new members to our board.

This year, we are delighted to note that the City of Savannah’s budget includes a $200,000 line item for the Homeless Authority. This will allow us to produce a balanced budget for 2013, which not only lets us operate in the black but also allows us to begin paying down past debts.

This generous support of the city is greatly appreciated. Going forward, we will also need to work with the county to find some basic level of funding, which together with the city’s continued support will allow us to broaden our outreach and more concern ourselves with the real work of the Authority — caring for our community’s lost and left out.

With several board positions vacant, we are also reaching out to find people with fundraising experience to assist us in building a firm financial foundation for the Authority.

We feel the need to correct your recent coverage. We do not have 80 people on staff; the actual number is 19, all of whom are funded by grants. If we remove the employees, we lose their productivity and the grant, so there is no real savings in letting good people go. Otherwise, we are most grateful for the attention we are receiving.

It is long overdue. We sincerely hope the community is listening.

Lawrence B. Lee is chairman of the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless.

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Funding from goverment sources only is not the answer! We feel others in the community understand this. We are working diligently to give a voice to those in the community ready to be a part of the solution! Stay tuned for more developments as we share the vision! We don't need just more staff at CSAH, we need more solutions that address the under-served populations of homeless people in our community, women & children, families, youth as well as a Housing First approach to these populations along with the visibly chronic homeless!

Our Interfaith Taskforce is a step in that direction! Find out more & get involved! Help create a new strategic (10 year plan) "with" the community not just FOR the community!